FOUR friends have ditched a week’s holiday in Majorca for a barmy 1,450-mile road trip across Europe – dressed as disco group Village People.

The group has decided to compete in a three-day gruelling rally from Calais to Valencia in a clapped-out Nissan worth just £150 to raise cash for a local charity.

The Ramshackle Banger Rally – billed as “the birthplace of lunacy and the epitome of oddness” – will see about 100 rickety cars take to European roads.

Karl Byrne, 24, will be joined by his brother Christopher, 20, Marvin Zizi, 26, and Josh Slater, 21.

Karl, Christopher and Josh are in the Royal Navy and decided to dress up as Village People in tribute to the group’s 1979 hit In the Navy. They have even turned their battered vehicle into a ship to fit the theme.

Karl, of Purcell Road, Courthouse Green, said the idea came about during a conversation four months ago.

“We were thinking of going on holiday together but instead of a conventional holiday we thought we’d do something a bit different.

“Then we thought it would be nice to do something for charity.

“We’re not particularly into cars but we just wanted a bit of a road trip. When we registered we had to think of a theme.

“We couldn’t think of one, but we were watching some music videos on YouTube at the time and we saw that video.

“We thought, as there’s four of us as well, the Village People fitted nicely.”

The journey is broken down in to different legs. The first leg will see the lads travel from Calais to Annecy in France, before the route takes them to Valencia via San Remo in Italy and Perpignan in France.

The rally plans to arrive in Valencia on August 23 and the group have given themselves two days to stay for the famous La Tomatina festival in the region.

Up to 50,000 tourists arrive for the festivities which end with a huge food fight as revellers pelt each other with tomatoes.